The Domestic Life
by multiverse-tourist
Summary: A collection of one-shots showing glimpses into the daily lives of one part-human Metacrisis!Doctor and Rose Tyler, featuring adventures of a more domestic kind.
1. The Dangers of Stolen Dessert

_A/N: I've written a few one-shots showing random glimpses into the daily lives of Tentoo and Rose in Pete's Universe - some more silly than others - and decided to collect them under one 'story' here._  
 _They're going to be stand-alone and of varying length without any particular order, and I'll make sure to include a brief summary and rating at the beginning of each chapter. (Each one-shot usually goes along with a prompted piece of art I've done, which was often the innitial inspiration for it, so if you're interested in checking those out you can find a link to my AO3 account in my profile.)_

 _With that said, I hope you enjoy! :)_

* * *

 **The Dangers of Stolen Dessert**

Summary: The Doctor comes to realise that human hormones and desserts don't mix well. (Or maybe a little _too_ well.)  
Rating: Teen

* * *

The following week after they had been left at Bad Wolf Bay had seen a bit of a distance growing between him and Rose.

As passionate as her reaction to his declaration had been on the beach, it had quickly cooled down once the reality of their situation began to truly sink in, leaving a sense of uncertainty settling in the pits of their stomachs – well, it did in his, at least. Not because of the domestics he was now facing (well, all right, maybe a _little_ because of that, too), but because he wasn't sure what Rose was thinking of him.

He couldn't help wondering sometimes; did she truly accept him the same as his other, full Time Lord self?  
Her first doubts back on the beach that day, where she had to be repeatedly reassured that he was, indeed, the Doctor, still rang in his ears at times.

 _'But he's not you'_ \- that claim troubled him more than he cared to admit.

Maybe he was just reading too much into the confusion and emotional turmoil of that day.

In any case, he couldn't help but notice how even casual hugs had been spare and a little awkward in the first few days - which was ridiculous, really, considering how often they had done it before - and there wasn't much hand holding either, which had seemed to come so naturally before.  
Well, at least the hugs were starting to come easier and more often again, which was good, _very_ good even. It calmed his doubts a little, even if not completely.

And as though the uncertainty between them hadn't already created enough tension, he had become increasingly distracted by this new body's functions and needs. (He _farted_ now! How disgusting was that?! And not to mention embarrassing! Rose had been in stitches for minutes when she'd witnessed his mortified reaction to it.)

But the biggest distraction was another thing his body had been troubling him with lately: an uncontrollable onslaught of human hormones.

The desire to hold her close was very hard to overcome at times, which, admittedly, had already been hard enough as his other self, as the countless times he'd held her close to him in a tight hug attested. That was _nothing_ compared to what he was facing now, though, thanks to this absurdly hormone-driven body he found himself in. (How did humans even function with the ridiculously small amount of control they had over their release?!)

At one point, not too long ago, he and Rose had accidentally ended up with their faces only inches away from each other, laughing at first after the initial surprise. But very soon a more serious mood had taken over, and he'd become aware of Rose closing the remaining distance between them ever so hesitatingly. Before even registering that he'd given his body the order to move, he'd found himself leaning in closer himself.  
Yet when their lips had been just shy of meeting, close enough for him to feel Rose's warm breath tickling the sensitive skin of his lips, silencing all thoughts lurking in the back of his mind for a moment – Jackie had walked in on them. It had startled them into jumping apart, and the atmosphere had been instantly ruined with Jackie's nagging.

He had the feeling Rose had grown a little distant again after that, at least from the physical aspect of their relationship.

Which just made matters worse, since it didn't seem to stop her from giving him that tongue-touched smile he was so fond of. Whenever he saw that little tip of pink tongue peeking out between her teeth, he felt the urge capture it between his lips.  
It took more of his self-control than he'd like to admit not to claim those tempting full lips with his own whenever she smiled at him like that, but he managed to restrain himself.

Well – _had_. Until today.

Rose and Pete had finally managed to persuade him into taking a tour through the Torchwood of this universe, to convince him that they operated very differently from the Torchwood he knew – old habits (and suspicions) die hard, after all.

Since Rose had a whole department under her, working in an executive position, they'd suggested it would be an ideal solution to have him work for Torchwood as well, given his very extensive knowledge in all things extraterrestrial. Rose had also added that he might be less bored that way, as he was stuck in domestics while they waited for their little baby TARDIS to grow.  
Pete had even casually mentioned that he might, perhaps, be considered to become head of the science department if he so wished and proved himself capable. ( _Capable!_ What a nerve! He could lead the whole department on his own better than all of the employees together there were doing now!)

So Rose had shown him around the facilities that morning, and he had to admit that things really did seem to be quite different. Well, at least from what he'd seen at a first glance.

She had also given him that blasted smile once, when she'd shown him around their labs and mentioned all the high-tech (well, for their standards, anyway) 'toys' he could play with, but he'd managed to resist once again. (Admittedly with the stray thought in mind, that he'd prefer to play with something entirely different and very pink instead... Oh, these bloody hormones were no good! They were beginning to become a real strain on his concentration – and _that_ was saying something, since his mind was still mostly Time Lord, usually capable of keeping up with several trains of thought at once.)

They'd had lunch afterwards in some nearby Italian restaurant she liked to frequent during her breaks, and were now having ice cream for dessert on their leisurely walk back, talking about some of the habits her team at Torchwood had developed. (He guessed she was trying to warm him to the idea of getting to know the people working there. She really wasn't very subtle about the whole Torchwood-matter.)

When Rose suddenly pointed out that he had a bit of ice cream on his mouth, things happened so quickly that he barely had any time to think before his body reacted.

One moment he was watching her hand reach for his mouth, and the next his focus narrowed down on that tempting pink tongue licking said dairy product from her thumb.  
Dairy product, that, only seconds before, had been on his upper lip.

Which basically made it an indirect kiss.

And that was all the invitation he needed.

Before he could even think about the silliness of the previous thought, he made a gentle grab for her hand, pulling it away from her mouth and her body towards his at the same time, and softly enclosed her lips with his own. When she gasped in surprise, he couldn't resist the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth, finally getting to caress the soft and warm appendage that had been teasing him all this time, the hint of a relieved sigh escaping his throat. The faint taste of the banana flavoured ice cream she'd stolen from him, mixed with the taste of _her_ , registered as an added bonus somewhere in the far back of his mind.

He decided right that moment that he had been waiting for this way too long.

But when Rose didn't immediately react to it, her mouth unmoving against his, his single heart skipped a beat in a surge of panic.

Had he crossed a line?

Had she perhaps grown distant after that almost-kiss before, because she realised she didn't want to go down _that_ path with him, after all? Well, he was pretty sure she had wanted it before, so...  
Perhaps not with _this_ him then? Not with a useless part Time Lord that provided a lack of time and space travel and was stuck in domestics, at least for now?

Was she second-guessing herself – second-guessing _them_?

Had he maybe ruined things between them - their wonderful friendship - just now? (And why was his stomach starting to feel so funny?)

He was just about to break the kiss off, a multitude of rushed apologies in all kinds of languages on the tip of his now hesitating tongue, when he finally felt her mouth move. Full lips pressed softly against his, followed by her tongue nudging his teasingly, urging him to continue what he had stopped doing, and he felt so relieved and elated by it that he nearly lifted her up and spun her around, the nagging uncertainty finally laid to rest.

That urge left him quickly, though, when a hand sneaked up his neck and he felt fingernails gently scratching his scalp as her tongue became busy with his, narrowing his world down on the intent to deepen the kiss.

They stayed like that for a timeless moment, embraced in each other's arms, cones with half-eaten, melting ice cream hanging dangerously off their hands, forgetting everything around them.

Until someone cleared their throat behind Rose, pulling them back to the present.

When they moved apart to look (or half glare, in his case) at who had interrupted them, he noticed they were blocking the way for a woman pushing an empty buggy, holding the hand of a small boy that was looking up at Rose's legs, which were right in his path.

Rose mumbled a quick apology, moving out of the way, and the woman gave them a small, knowing smile, before continuing on her way with her son toddling alongside.

He felt a blush warming his cheeks as he watched the woman pass them (had he really just glared at someone for making him aware of blocking their way?) and cleared his own throat, rubbing the back of his neck.  
The thought of moving out of the way hadn't even crossed his mind until Rose had done so, too dazed by the kiss they had just shared and the elation at the knowledge that she apparently hadn't changed her mind about _them_ , after all.

When Rose raised a brow at his sudden awkwardness, he heard himself babbling something about always getting stolen dessert back (internally wincing at the idiocy of that claim), in a rushed attempt to cover up his embarrassment at the lack of control he had over himself when it came to her.

He had been prepared for Rose to laugh at that, helping him lighten up the mood – what he hadn't been prepared for, was her remark of _'Keeping that in mind'_ and the suggestive smirk accompanying it.

Or the mental images following that, of reclaiming stolen dessert from various other parts of her body, surprising him with an unexpected tug in the lower regions of his body.

Luckily, Rose chose that moment to point out that there was chocolate ice cream dripping on his new Converse, before the hormones could spin even more out of control and embarrass him in a very public place.

 _Blimey._


	2. Makeover

_A/N: Another silly one; it was inspired by someone on tumblr suggesting to put bearded!DT into a checked flannel shirt in reaction to an inside joke after the release of some set-photos made the rounds, which then turned into Hipster!Tentoo trying to be *cool*_ _ _during the following conversation_ , and I just had to do something with that crack-y idea x)_

* * *

 **Makeover**

Summary: The Doctor tries out a new look.  
Rating: Gen

* * *

Rose leant against the doorframe in the bathroom, watching the Doctor as he fixed his hair into a less spiky style than usual, taking in what had started out as a tame (and rather attractive, if she may say so) stubble from his latest field trip and surprisingly been allowed to grow into a proper beard. The red, checked shirt he was wearing (which he must've gotten recently, as she hadn't seen it before) was different from his usual choice of colours, too, but for some reason the look still seemed oddly familiar.

"Not that I really mind, but is there any particular reason for the sudden change in styling...?" the blonde asked curiously.

The Doctor's eyes met hers in the mirror, while his fingers continued expertly working product into his hair to create a carefully tousled look. "Well, Tony's been telling his mates he's going to introduce his _cool_ sort-of-brother-in-law to class for a _cool_ presentation, didn't he?"

"Aren't you putting a little too much thought into those comments, Doctor? It's just a school presentation..." she reminded him. "Besides, I should think having a proper, renowned scientist showing off a flashy experiment should be plenty cool, yeah?"

The part Time Lord shrugged a nonchalant shoulder in reply, but Rose could see the hint of a blush colouring the tip of his ears.

She couldn't help smiling at the obvious care he showed for her little brother, feeling warmed by how much making Tony happy seemed to matter to him.  
She also suspected that the new, small hints at self-consciousness she'd been noticing about him played a part in this little endeavour as well. It usually wasn't really a big deal, but still noticeable to her - she thought it to be something he must've picked up from Donna.

As Rose continued watching him fix his hair, taking a more appreciative look at his appearance (and the tight, dark jeans he was wearing; she'd known it would be worth to buy them back when they'd worked up a wardrobe for him, despite his initial protests to ever wear them), she suddenly realised why the new look seemed familiar.

"Wait. Have you been checking out the fashion section in Mum's magazines?"

A beat of silence, his hands freezing in their movement.

"...No?"

The high tone his voice had taken, paired with the sheepish look on his face (and the now definitely pink-tipped ears), were enough to spur Rose into a fit of giggles.

Once she'd calmed down enough, she soothed the Doctor's flustered indignation at her reaction with a soft kiss, letting him know that she appreciated his caring for Tony.

Even if it _was_ rather amusing.


	3. Dream a Little Dream of Me

_A/N: This one is a little more serious. It was inspired by an art prompt on tumblr_ _, and_ _while drawing it I had a scene around it fleshing out in my mind.  
_

* * *

 **Dream a Little Dream of Me**

Summary: Tentoo dreams about the Time Lord Victorious.  
Rating: Teen

* * *

 _The first thing he became aware of, was a sea of voices around him._

 _Desperate, terrified voices, fearing louder and clearer for their lives with each new wave that beat against his consciousness. They seemed to be coming from everywhere, penetrating his mind and robbing him of any clear thought for a moment._

 _The next step of his rising awareness, was finding himself surrounded by flames in an all-encompassing darkness – and feeling a sudden epiphany surging through him, a brilliant new insight that shined even brighter through the darkness than any fire ever could._

 _And with it came a feeling of certainty that stood out against everything he had ever known._

 _He knew what to do.  
What he could do._

 _What was_ _ **his right**_ _to do._

 _The next moments he experienced in a daze, found himself walking towards a partly destroyed expedition site with a clear purpose burning in his mind, ignoring the flames trying to lick at his feet. He entered one of the buildings and began giving orders to the remaining, small group of panicking humans inside, losing sight of them as individuals along the way and finding they've become mere targets in his plan; even going so far as to threaten the one that dared defy him._

 _He was in the right here, after all, and he had a goal in mind that he wouldn't let_ _ **anyone**_ _get in the way of._

 _For once, he was going to be_ _ **the winner**_ _._

* * *

A strangled gasp escaped his throat as his eyes flew open. He stared at the blueish grey of the ceiling above him in disorientation for a moment, needing a few seconds to gather his wits. Once they had returned to him, he sat up and rubbed his face, his single heart thumping madly in his chest – a feeling he still hadn't gotten quite used to.  
A look to his side confirmed that Rose had not been woken up. Tenderly, he tucked a lock of hair out of her face and studied her sleeping form for a moment, giving his heart some time to calm down, before getting out of the bed.

He made his way over to the door leading to the balcony - the voices of the dying humans in his dream still echoing faintly in the back of his mind - and opened it quietly to step outside. As soon as the fresh night air met his uncomfortably hot and clammy skin, his breathing came a little easier again. A soft breeze made him aware of the droplets of sweat on his neck and forehead, and he welcomed the cooling effect it had on his overheated, part-human skin.

Stopping in the middle of the balcony for a moment, the Doctor tilted his head back to take in the clear, starry nightsky, and just _breathed_. The sight of the twinkling stars above him soon began to calm him even more, the voices and images of the dream slowly fading away.

The feeling of power having gone to his head lingered on a little longer, though – the twisted view of what seemed right, when it really wasn't right at all.

A few minutes later he stepped towards the balustrade and rested his elbows on it, letting his eyes wander over the Tyler estate lit up by the faint light from the crescent moon in the sky, not feeling like going back inside just yet. His mind was troubled with too many thoughts to consider going back to sleep, the implication of the origin of his 'dream' causing him to worry. If they were at their own place instead of visiting Rose's family, he'd search for something to tinker the rest of the night away with and focus his busy mind on, but alas.

 _Just what have you gotten yourself into?_ he silently wondered, a question directed at his other self; a full Time Lord somewhere in a different universe, all on his own. A question that was most likely never to be received nor answered.  
It looked like his other self had been right; apparently they truly were too dangerous to be left on their own… _Both_ of them. Something Donna had been aware of from the very beginning, telling him.  
Brilliant, intuitive Donna…

He was pulled out of his brooding by the sound of Rose's bare feet padding softly towards the balcony door.

"Bad dream?" she asked quietly, her voice slightly croaky from sleep.

"Yeah," he replied without turning around, knowing she was making her way over to him by the sound of her bare feet now meeting the stone floor of the balcony. "'Least I hope it was…" he added in a whisper, more to himself.

Rose didn't say anything to that, simply leant into his side and put a hand around his waist, offering silent comfort.  
She was probably already aware that he was assuming it might be more than that; one of those rare glimpses of a telepathic connection to his other self, which he had experienced during some longer sleep cycles before. She was clever like that, his Rose.

 _His Rose_.  
At his side in the middle of the night, making sure he was all right.

He truly was lucky to have her.

"If I ever give the impression of becoming power-crazed, knock some sense back into me, yeah?"

The words had left his mouth before he had even really considered them, and he tried not to cringe at what she might think of the meaning behind them.

But instead of drawing back warily, she rested her head on his shoulder, simply replying with a resolute "Will do", further reassuring him.

Clever, and brilliant, his Rose.


	4. A Bout of Doctor Flu

_A/N: This one happened originally as a short comic in response to a mix of two art prompts, suggesting Tentoo getting ill with a cold for the first time in a bout of a man flu and realising how fragile his part human body is when his previous Time Lord physiology would've simply fought it off. (You can once again find the comic on my AO3 account linked in my profile.)_

* * *

 **A Bout of Doctor Flu**

Summary: The Doctor has his first cold...  
Rating: Gen

* * *

Rose stirred the steaming soup in the pot gently a few times before turning her attention from the stove back to the small pile of medication strewn over the kitchen table. She finished going through each of the packets she'd kept from her own last bout of flu, checking the ingredients on them, and ended up with only some throat lozenges that seemed innocuous enough for the Doctor to consume without any worries.  
It was still better than nothing, she supposed, and took the packet of lozenges with her after filling a bowl with some of the hot soup from the stove, carrying both over to the living room.

The sight that met her as she entered the room left her torn between feeling sorry and somewhat amused at the same time.

The Doctor way lying on his side on the couch, cocooned in a blanket that was wrapped all the way up over his head, a slight frown on his brow and the reddened skin around his nose hinting at his discomfort.  
Apparently having heard her walk in, he spoke without even opening his eyes.

"Rooose..."

The addressed blonde did her best to bite back an amused smile at the heavily whiny tone in his hoarse voice.

"I think this rubbish body might be dying on me..."

Unable to stop an eye-roll at his over-dramatic claim, Rose set the steaming bowl on the coffee table in front of the couch, catching the Doctor peeking an eye open to see what she was doing.

"It's just a light fever, Doctor, I'm sure that 'rubbish' body of yours will be more than capable of handling it."

She watched the displeased pout on the part Time Lord's face deepen at not getting the sympathy he had been fishing for in continued amusement.

"Come on, sit up," she encouraged. "I made you some nice, hot soup."

Still pouting and wrapped in his blanket, the Doctor sat up, staring moodily at the soup. "I don't feel like eating."

"You really should, though, you've barely had anything since yesterday. The soup will top your body up with some nutrients, I made sure to add lots of goodies to it. Mum used to make that for me whenever I got ill when I was younger."

He frowned. "But I don't want to! I'm not hungry at all, and everything tastes off and dull anyway."

"Blimey, you're worse than Tony!" Rose accused, a little miffed that none of her mothering from the past two days seemed to be even acknowledged by him.

"Am not!"

"You are! He's been acting a lot more grown up about it, and he's five!"

"Well, _he_ can take medicine which makes it a lot easier for him, so it's really not a fair comparison!" the Doctor defended himself.

Rose threw the packet of lozenges at him, watching as his hands reflexively shot out from under the blanket to catch it.

"You can take those to sooth your sore throat."

Giving her an unimpressed look, the Doctor turned the packet over in his hand. "Fat lot of good that'll do," he mumbled while checking the ingredient list.

Rose crossed her arms in front of her chest, feeling her previous amusement and sympathy being replaced more and more by annoyance at his behaviour. "'Thank you for going through the trouble of checking all of the available medication to see what might help ease my situation a bit without being of any potential harm while taking care of my whining self, Rose' – Why, you are very welcome, Doctor," the blonde mimicked sarcastically.

The Doctor looked up at that, initial indignation soon replaced by a look of uncertainty on his face as her words seemed to sink in. "Am I really being that bad…?"

Rose felt her annoyance soften again at the miserable sight he made, with the blanket wrapped around his shoulders, his sore, red nose and the lost look on his face while he held on to the packet of throat lozenges.

"It's just that I have rarely felt so out of control over my bodily functions?" he offered. "I know that barely a degree more in temperature might be considered to be just a light fever by human standards, but you have to keep in mind that my physiology still doesn't quite follow the same set of rules – the effects I'm feeling don't feel very light at all."

"Probably because you simply haven't experienced them before, since your previous full Time Lord physiology used to be 'above such insignificant things as a cold'," she quoted.

Sighing at the look on his face, Rose went around the low coffee table to sit down on the couch next to the Doctor, pulling a leg up and bending it on the seat so her body was facing his.

"Look, it's not that I'm not taking you seriously, Doctor; but the symptoms you're showing really don't seem dangerous at all, and are very much comparable to that of a simple common cold. And considering that you most likely got it from Tony and his didn't turn out to be some severe flu, either, I think it's safe to say your body is in no grave danger," she assured him, before adding, "I did warn you not to finish his cocoa while he's being ill."

"Yes, thank you very much for reminding me," the Doctor pouted with a sarcastic roll of his eyes.

Turning more serious, Rose decided to once more broach a topic they had previously disagreed on. "You know, maybe it would be a good idea to let them take some tests at Torchwood, after all?" Seeing his expression shift and expecting immediate protest, she quickly added, "Think about it; we might know for sure then what kind of substances are compatible with your unique physiology and which aren't – and not just to ease the symptoms of a simple cold, but in case that one day medication might _really_ become necessary. I don't like the idea of not knowing whether something comparable to aspirin might be able to actually help you or put you in a coma instead."

"Neither do I," the Doctor admitted. "But I also don't like the idea of having an obscure organisation running tests on my body."

"Doctor, you know very well that this world's Torchwood isn't comparable to ours – so calling it obscure in suspicion really isn't fair, especially since Pete took it over and with me helping in changing things. D'you honestly think I would work with them if they had questionable intentions?" she asked, holding his gaze.

The Doctor sighed, his expression softening. "Of course not. It's just not easy to ignore all of the history running between them and me..."

"I know, but I promise you it's not the same Torchwood. And Pete gave us his word that the tests would be kept very low-profile and run by the same, small group of trustworthy people who also do my and mum's check ups and know about our true background. They've proven themselves to be very reliable over the years."

"I suppose I can at least think about it..." he finally allowed, his voice ending in a rough croak after the amount of talking he'd done.

Smiling at having gotten through to him, Rose took the throat lozenges out of the Doctor's hand and removed one of the blister packs. "Here, let's give these a try at least."

Pushing one of the bright red pills out into his obediently waiting hand, she watched the part Time Lord pop it into his mouth.

"Mmh, not so bad, actually! I think that's supposed to be cherry," the Doctor exclaimed while rolling the lozenge around in his mouth. "Thank you for taking care of me, by the way."

Rose's smile widened. "You're welcome."

* * *

Several days later found them getting ready to head over to Torchwood for the first round of very basic tests that the Doctor had agreed on, once he had gotten over the worst of his first feverish cold and come to appreciate how good being mostly back to health felt.

When Rose saw him holding a scarf after having put on his pinstriped blue jacket, though, she came to a stop and gave him a sceptically raised brow.

"Aren't you going a little overboard there, Doctor? It's around twenty degrees outside today..." she pointed out, wearing a short sleeved shirt herself at the unusually warm temperature for the season.

Ignoring that last bit of information, the Doctor wrapped the scarf around his neck. "The evenings can get surprisingly chilly now, and I'm not keen on getting that cold back just when I'm starting to feel better." After finishing wrapping it twice around his neck, he added, "Only got one life with you, Rose Tyler – gotta take care of it!"

Biting back a smile, Rose shrugged at his antics. "If you say so."

She failed in trying to hide her amusement once they were in the car a bit later, though, when she saw the Doctor taking the scarf off again once he started sweating underneath it, pointedly ignoring her knowing smirks.


End file.
